1. Field of the Invention
The invention is related to the field of depaneling systems, and in particular, to a depaneling system having one or more fixture pallets adapted to tilt toward an operator of the depaneling system to allow for loading and/or unloading of panels.
2. Statement of the Problem
Printed Circuit Boards (PCB) are used in many common electronic devices, such as computers and televisions. The demand for electronic devices has driven the need to mass produce the PCBs used in the electronic devices. One way to mass produce PCBs is to fabricate multiple PCBs on a panel. After being fabricated, the individual PCBs are liberated from the panel by cutting the PCBs out of the panel. The PCBs may be pre-routed so that only the remaining tabs connecting the PCBs to the panel need to be cut.
There are a variety of automated depaneling systems used to cut PCBs out of a panel. Some examples of depaneling systems are illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 6,357,108, U.S. Pat. No. 5,894,648, U.S. Pat. No. 5,438,740, U.S. Pat. No. 5,117,554, U.S. Pat. No. 4,683,789, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,742,615, which are all hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if fully set forth herein. A typical depaneling system has a horizontal fixture pallet and a cutting apparatus, such as a router or saw. One or both of the horizontal fixture pallet and cutting apparatus are movable with respect to one another in order to cut different PCB patterns out of the panel. To mount a panel to be cut on the horizontal fixture pallet, the horizontal fixture pallet is moved to a load/unload station of the depaneling system. An operator then registers the panel in a tooling fixture and attaches the tooling fixture to the horizontal fixture pallet. Alternatively, the operator registers the panel directly to the horizontal fixture pallet. The horizontal fixture pallet is moved from the load/unload station to a cutting station proximate to the cutting apparatus, and the cutting apparatus cuts the PCBs from the panel. The horizontal fixture pallet is then moved from the cutting station back to the load/unload station. The operator removes the PCBs and scraps of panel from the horizontal fixture pallet and registers a new panel for cutting.
One problem with the present horizontal fixture pallets is that they are fixed horizontally. An operator may have to bend over to load a tooling fixture onto the horizontal fixture pallet. Loading a tooling fixture in this manner onto a horizontal fixture pallet may not be ergonomically correct or ergonomically preferred.